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If you like Space, Astronauts, and Adventure!

This readalike is in response to a customer's book-match request. If you would like personalized reading recommendations, fill out the book-match form and a librarian will email suggested titles to you. Available for adults, teens, and kids. You can browse the book matches here.

Hello! Based on your interest in space and astronauts, learning about places around the world, and the Harry Potter series, I've chosen a mix of fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction books that I think you might enjoy. I've noted when books are available as audiobooks and in print. The book descriptions are provided by the publishers. Hopefully, there are a few titles here that sound amazing!

An enterprising teenager in Malawi builds a windmill from scraps he finds around his village and brings electricity, and a future, to his family.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
An expert at simulated war games, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin believes that he is engaged in one more computer war game when, in truth, he is commanding the last Earth fleet against an alien race seeking Earth's complete destruction. Child hero Ender Wiggin must fight a desperate battle against a deadly alien race if mankind is to survive.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
The planet Kerenza is attacked, and Kady and Ezra find themselves on a space fleet fleeing the enemy, while their ship's artificial intelligence system and a deadly plague may be the end of them all.

Mars One by Jonathan Maberry
A teenage boy leaves for Mars as a colonist with the Mars One space program and grapples with what he's leaving behind to do so.

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir (Classroom Edition)
After a dust storm on Mars nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, astronaut Mark Watney finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he's alive. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

Orphans of the Sky by Robert Heinlein
Ancient myths told of a place called Earth, but the modern world knew it was nonsense. Science knew the Ship was all the Universe, and as long as the sacred Converter was fed, lights would glow and air would flow through the miles of metal corridors. Hugh never questioned these truths until a despised mutie showed him the Control Room and he learned the true nature of the Ship and its mission.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Berry
The young orphan Peter and his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold but the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerse the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan. **The audiobooks for this series are narrated by Jim Dale, who also narrated the Harry Potter audiobooks!**

The Red Planet by Robert Heinlein
Jim Marlow and his strange-looking Martian friend, Willis, were allowed to travel only so far. But one day Willis unwittingly tuned into a treacherous plot that threatened all the colonists on Mars, and it set Jim off on a terrifying adventure that could save—or destroy—them all!

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
When twelve-year-old Stephanie Edgely inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with ace detective Skulduggery Pleasant, a walking, talking, fire-throwing skeleton mage, to save the world from the Faceless Ones.

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
When three heroic men traveled aboard the Apollo 11 spacecraft bound for the moon, the entire world sat glued to their television sets in suspense. But few knew just how much it took to get that far. To put a man on the moon, thousands of people diligently worked behind the scenes. Countless preparations had to be made and no detail, however small, could be overlooked—the lives of the crewmen were at stake. From the seamstresses who wove the multi-layered materials for the spacesuits, to the computer experts who designed and tested the flight software, the combined efforts of many little-known heroes helped make this monumental endeavor a success.